Protected's recent activity
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Protected (edited )Link ParentHonestly, it was surprisingly good. It suffers from the usual TV-show-itis symptoms of unnecessary changes (gotta keep Lin-Manuel Miranda on screen!), sometimes odd pacing, lack of proper...Honestly, it was surprisingly good. It suffers from the usual TV-show-itis symptoms of unnecessary changes (gotta keep Lin-Manuel Miranda on screen!), sometimes odd pacing, lack of proper introspection leading to an excessive focus on action, etc. but it worked pretty well as a TV show. The main plot beats are there and the fantasy world scenes look pretty great. I remember enjoying the way they did some of the characters quite a bit, Marisa Coulter for example.
EDIT: I remember in one of the seasons fans were complaining because the daemons barely appeared at all. It's likely that they got a different budget each season and that got reflected on what they were able to produce.
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Protected LinkWhen I was younger and had less disposable income, and also access to way fewer books, I'd do this. But for many years now, books are plentiful (if I read in english), there are more people...When I was younger and had less disposable income, and also access to way fewer books, I'd do this. But for many years now, books are plentiful (if I read in english), there are more people writing - sometimes much less educated authors, since it's easier to "self" publish now - and while my finances are not super liquid I can always afford more books. So I'm happy to drop that garbage like a hot potato, rant about how bad it was on the internet and move on to the next adventure!
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Protected Link ParentOh, no! It's true that the ending is... weaker than the first two books. What did you think of the TV show?Worst (betrayal): The Amber Spyglass
Oh, no! It's true that the ending is... weaker than the first two books.
What did you think of the TV show?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected LinkI played Wanderstop. It's a fairly cozy game by the developers of The Stanley Parable. You play as an ambitious warrior who collapses in the forest and wakes up in a magical clearing where a...I played Wanderstop. It's a fairly cozy game by the developers of The Stanley Parable. You play as an ambitious warrior who collapses in the forest and wakes up in a magical clearing where a friendly man invites her to help run a tea shop. Unable to pick up her sword, she reluctantly agrees.
I have mixed feelings. I like this developer, and this is the first game they made (or at least that I've played) that has true professional polish. The whole game is supposed to be a metaphor for burning out, and well, that does come through - maybe excessively, at times. The various mechanics of running the tea shop - growing plants, mixing infusions, weeding, etc. - are fairly well implemented and while not quite addictive, it's easy enough for one not to mind spending time on them.
I think there is a conflict at the very core of the concept, though. The game strongly encourages you, directly, and indirectly, not to be goal oriented. It wants you to chillax, make some tea not only for the clients but for yourself. Sit down somewhere, enjoy the magical forest clearing and reminisce some backstory for the character (jarringly, introspection segments are practically the only voice acting in the whole game). And I get it - the character (and the player) are invited to stop being so fixated on "winning", to pace themselves and enjoy life.
But the game does have a goal, which is to walk us through that very message by providing character development for the protagonist. So there is a strict progression of duly tracked milestones. You barely have any time after a customer's order and there's already someone else signaling that they want to talk to you (often, there are multiple simultaneous objectives). Even things that might be completely optional, like taking photos and decorating the shop, are included as part of tracked goals that require you to go all in on them. That completely ruins the point!
And if you choose to let the customers wait and just do your thing? The same conflict strikes again. Throughout the game, you meet various characters who visit the clearing. They are suitably "colorful" and varied; some stay for longer, some leave quickly. Some are nicer, others are jerks. And all of them will inevitably run out of dialogue lines as part of the plot. When this happens, the shop owner says it's time to visit a shrine and meditate... after which the whole clearing is reset and you start over, losing all your gardening and shop decoration, and gaining a whole new set of NPC acquaintances. What happened to the old ones? Shrug.
OK. No goals means no goals. Not even gardening goals. Or decoration goals. Or friendship goals? There's almost a nihilism to the whole thing. You get fed the message about letting go and about changing yourself - I understand, I've been through serious burnout myself and come out of the other side of the process. It's the correct message, it's educational, but I'm not sure it makes for a satisfying videogame. And it's such a waste of a nice set of "open clearing" mechanics!
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Comment on Windows 11 videos demonstrating account and hardware requirements bypass purged from YouTube creator's channel in ~tech
Protected Link ParentI had friends at Google and even they failed to champion my cause when I needed it (despite attempting to do so)... They were ignored.a Googler decides to champion your case through back channels
I had friends at Google and even they failed to champion my cause when I needed it (despite attempting to do so)... They were ignored.
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Comment on Windows 11 videos demonstrating account and hardware requirements bypass purged from YouTube creator's channel in ~tech
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Comment on Windows 11 videos demonstrating account and hardware requirements bypass purged from YouTube creator's channel in ~tech
Protected Link ParentGoogle has always sucked at (their non-existing, except for businesses) customer support. In any event, I feel like a company that proactively removed "don't be evil" from their guidebook isn't...Google has always sucked at (their non-existing, except for businesses) customer support. In any event, I feel like a company that proactively removed "don't be evil" from their guidebook isn't exactly playing their cards close to their chest. Could there have been a better canary?
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Comment on People with a very good memory: does that make it harder to forgive? in ~talk
Protected Link ParentThis resonates with me too. Sometimes I'm pondering X or Y and then I realize, wait, why am I thinking of this like it was yesterday? It happened 20 years ago. All of these people moved on with...I live very much inside my head, thinking about the future and the past.
This resonates with me too. Sometimes I'm pondering X or Y and then I realize, wait, why am I thinking of this like it was yesterday? It happened 20 years ago. All of these people moved on with their lives and have changed into significantly different people. Likely, not a single person even remembers this moment, other than me. Even if they do, the odds that they think of it this clearly are low at best. It's a lonely feeling!
Sometimes, I will remember a meme (in the traditional sense, not the internet definition of the word) that seemed to be so big in a certain time and context but is now all but forgotten...
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Comment on People with a very good memory: does that make it harder to forgive? in ~talk
Protected LinkTo me, yes, it does. Even if I consciously want to "forgive" someone I remember the feelings and the experience of the slight. I will always be disappointed in them and hesitant to trust them. The...To me, yes, it does. Even if I consciously want to "forgive" someone I remember the feelings and the experience of the slight. I will always be disappointed in them and hesitant to trust them. The closer you are to someone the worse it is, since the bad experiences add up.
It also causes a lot of anxiety in the other direction since it's difficult for me to convince myself that someone else isn't being just as hard on me. I think this translated into a lot of shyness and an overabundance of caution in social situations or high visibility situations when I was younger.
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Comment on Supermarket rewards card- yes or no? in ~finance
Protected Link ParentI have the opposite problem; around these parts, supermarkets keep trying to force me to buy minimum amounts of things, and since I'm a bachelor it's difficult to use up all the produce before it...harder for families
I have the opposite problem; around these parts, supermarkets keep trying to force me to buy minimum amounts of things, and since I'm a bachelor it's difficult to use up all the produce before it spoils... It's really hostile to people who live alone.
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Comment on Do you have a favorite setting shared amongst multiple authors? in ~books
Protected LinkFighting Fantasy CYOA games were probably the first shared setting, followed by Dragonlance. That said, I don't read a lot of shared settings... Honestly, I prefer unique settings. So I would be...Fighting Fantasy CYOA games were probably the first shared setting, followed by Dragonlance. That said, I don't read a lot of shared settings...
Honestly, I prefer unique settings. So I would be less likely, as an adult, to choose a shared setting book.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentA: We did accomplish that in our very latest run and were lucky enough to do so with plenty of a certain type of consummable! Still a goal in progress though. I'm being deliberately vague here. B:...A: We did accomplish that in our very latest run and were lucky enough to do so with plenty of a certain type of consummable! Still a goal in progress though. I'm being deliberately vague here.
B: We were aware of this goal but have yet to accomplish it. We have yet to get that room again...
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentI have you on steam, probably from giving you something in a giveaway sometime in the past.I have you on steam, probably from giving you something in a giveaway sometime in the past.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected LinkI have finished Until Then. The one random tildist who reads these comments might remember that I played this game back in the early summer, but the catch is that you need to relive the events of...I have finished Until Then. The one random tildist who reads these comments might remember that I played this game back in the early summer, but the catch is that you need to relive the events of the game more than once. Since the first ending hits you like a punch to the gut followed by a knee to the groin and a few kicks to the head for good measure, I decided at the time (and in retrospect it was a good decision) to take some time away from it before continuing.
Much like everything else about this game, the repetition was done quite well. There are major unavoidable plot beats, but you start seeing differences almost immediately and those differences become more and more drastic as the mysteries behind the plot are uncovered, leading you toward the beautiful but bittersweet ending that's more typical (in my experience) of eastern-produced games. In any event, this was time well spent, and I recommend the game (read my older comment for first impressions).
I have reached room 46 in Blue Prince! I'm still playing that, since it's a big game. Look like @arghdos got to where we are at a similar playtime though so we're probably keeping a reasonable pace ourselves ;)
Currently at 34 hours and the fears I expressed in the past did not materialize. Most of our runs are still productive and interesting, with meta-progress being steadily made. There is now a ridiculous amount of screenshots in our discord channel for the game, and we're also keeping an information-packed google spreadsheet for collaboration. We still have a number of clear goals we're working towards; we have yet to feel stuck. Much like the relatively recent ANIMAL WELL, this is a problem-solving game with a lot of charisma and style, packed with content, and with several layers of depth. I love that games like this, that cater to tastes like mine, are just coming out regularly now!
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Comment on What's your video game comfort food? in ~games
Protected LinkOnce in a blue moon I'll pick up Binding of Isaac: Rebirth again for a few runs. It's often infuriating if you care about what you're doing, but the point is that I barely need to engage my brain...Once in a blue moon I'll pick up Binding of Isaac: Rebirth again for a few runs. It's often infuriating if you care about what you're doing, but the point is that I barely need to engage my brain in order to play it. Typically I'm playing it while doing something else, like watching a stream or show.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentWatch the speedruns some day, you'll be surprised by how breakable the game is!Watch the speedruns some day, you'll be surprised by how breakable the game is!
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
Protected Link ParentDepends on who you ask, right? You're downloading it in the process of watching it in the first place, but youtube keeps doing their hardest to break yt-dlp and equivalent, thereby breaking a lot...Depends on who you ask, right? You're downloading it in the process of watching it in the first place, but youtube keeps doing their hardest to break yt-dlp and equivalent, thereby breaking a lot of things that rely on youtube video "integration". I'm sure they don't care so much about the copying aspect of it rather than their primary goal of one day being able to force users to watch fifteen ads before every five minute video.
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
Protected Link ParentYoutube was fully down for a while on wednesday, and I read something about newer and exciting anti-download protections, so there just might have been a big backend upgrade too.Youtube was fully down for a while on wednesday, and I read something about newer and exciting anti-download protections, so there just might have been a big backend upgrade too.
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
Protected Link ParentI blame Netflix for pioneering the "0.5pixels is enough for a uniform contrast outline" fad, which everyone else copies. Give me a thick black outline any day please. I attempted to send Netflix...I blame Netflix for pioneering the "0.5pixels is enough for a uniform contrast outline" fad, which everyone else copies. Give me a thick black outline any day please. I attempted to send Netflix feedback on the accessibility issues caused by their uniform subtitle style, but was ignored. I guess only a tiny amount of users would change their subtitle style in the first place.
The old youtube player, which I still see for now, uses a semitransparent gradient, which will also do the job just fine. I guess the geniuses at Youtube removed the gradient and didn't think about making changes to compensate for low contrast between the time text and bright frames?
Wheel of Time is a great example of something I hate read as a kid (up to book 11, lots of arguing about the quality of the books with online friends). By the time Sanderson was doing the final books I'd learned about the sunk cost fallacy and was no longer invested into continuing, so I never read those books. It's not because I don't like Sanderson - I've read most of his oeuvre and beta read for him - but after six chonky books' worth of mostly nothing happening and mostly characters I dislike I was just so done with that world.